Now. We don't want to cast aspersions. We know how life in an NFL locker room goes. You're with each other for half the year, sweating, bleeding, killing yourself out there for the sake of a common goal. You develop a kinship that cannot be quantified by any conventional standards.

You are football players. You are MEN.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms had such a bond with receivers coach Kyle (son of Mike) Shanahan, with whom he played at the University of Texas. In fact ... they really have a bond.

Chris Simms and Kyle Shanahan became such good friends at the University of Texas that they have their initials tattooed on each other's lower leg. ... Both players remember when they went with three other close friends and UT teammates — tight end Bo Scaife, defensive back Rod Babers and receiver Montrell Flowers — to get their tattoos. "Kyle was a real wimp about it," Simms said

That's right: They have each other's initials tattooed on each other's lower leg. We're really not sure how to handle this information.